Authentic Orange

Submitted by Jenna Nilsen

Oregon State University students are all part of one large community. This community is known as the “Oregon State” community, or, the “Orange” community. What students do as a whole, defines the community. But what they do individually, defines them as individuals. One would hope that each and every student would live authentically for themselves, even within such an enormous group. To live authentically, is when a person lives, while remaining true to their own character, spirit, and freedom of choices, despite any societal pressures, which attempt to persuade them to do otherwise.

To be an individual, people first have to realize, or become aware of, their own individuality. This can be one of the first obstacles in becoming an individual, because, as people ‘grow up’, they also have to learn how to become an individual (Lecture 11, 5/5/15). It is after this realization, that people are officially “condemned to be free” (Lecture 17, 5/26/15). They can choose to conform to the majority of society, or they can choose to challenge it. With this decision, people choose to either ‘be for themself’, or to ‘be for others’. In other words, people choose to be who they want to be, or who society tells them they should be. However, to live authentically would mean that one would mainly ‘be for themself’, despite potentially being judged, with however that applies to them.

Another obstacle that people often face is feeling as though they are just “part of a herd” (Lecture 11, 5/5/15). In other words, they are the same as everybody else around them. Almost all students at Oregon State University go to class every day, do their homework, dress in similar fashion trends, and act in a similar, somewhat reserved manner while walking the campus. This could potentially give some people the feeling of just “blending in” with everyone around them. While people often feel a strong need to be a part of a group, it is also still possible to express individuality within a group. It is a choice whether or not someone decides, or attempts to, blend in. The key for authenticity, is for people to discover, and embrace, what makes them different than everyone around them. What makes their rock, much like that of Sisyphus, different from everyone else’s? (Lecture 2, 4/7/15). However, standing out also comes with greater responsibility (Lecture 11, 5/5/15). It is the responsibility of people having to own who they are, and what makes them different.

People often avoid, or hide from, who they truly are, in order to ‘fit in’ with others around them. These people who choose to run from their true selves, are considered to be of bad faith (Lecture 18, 5/28/15). They have bad faith by trying to resolve any tension within their existence, with conformity. These people deny their own transcendence, or in other words, who they really are, or want to be. They are in denial with themselves, have yet to find their individuality, and do not want to accept the responsibility that comes with being an individual.

To be “authentically orange”, is choosing to live a specific lifestyle within the Oregon State community. It is individuals choosing to do what speaks to them the most, despite what any other students choose. Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “If a voice speaks to me, it is only I who must decide whether or not the voice I hear is that of an angel” (Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism). In relation to Oregon State students, they are all faced with their own freedom. It is only they who can choose to live an authentic life, or to not. It is only they who can decide whether the voice that speaks to them, telling them who they truly are, is that “of an angel”, or that which should be ignored.